Silage-machine.



F. SIEMEN.

SILAGE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.3. I914.

Patented (M. 24, 1916.

SSHEETS-SHEET 1.

, in van l'oz 7 Z 151. [put/14 Ni IIIIQ'AJCJ F. SIEMENI- SILAGE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.3. I914.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

J11 no N for F. SIEMEN.

SILAGE MACHINE.

APPLICATIONTILED AUG. 3. 1914.

Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

ilnucnlor hereby declare the following to FRED SIEMEN, OF MILLER, SOUTHDAKOTA.

SILAGE-MACHINE.

aaoaaar.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @ct. 24, 1916..

Application filed August 3, 1914. Serial No. 854,80t.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, FRED SIEMEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Miller, in the county of Hand, State of South Da- 5 kota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Silage-Machines andI do be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art 10 to which it'appertains to makeand use the same.

This invention relates to agricultural machinery and has specialreference to an improved corn harvesting machine so arranged as to notonly harvest the corn but also to cut the stalks up for use asensilage'. The principal object of the invention is to provide animproved combination of fodder corn harvester and ensilage cutter sofield, will. supply from its delivery elevator ensilage already cut forstorage.

Heretofore it has been customary to first harvest the corn and then cartthe same to a machine for cutting up into suitable pieces forstorage inthe silo. This operation not only required a large number of laborersbut also, on account of the corn being fed in bundles, required a highdegree of motive power to operate a silage cutter of this capacity.

A second object of the present invention is to enable the stalks to befed in a few at a time to the cutter knives, without bundling, while themachine is being moved along taking up a row of stalks so that while intheir green, freshly cut condition they can be cut up into suitablesizes for storing in a silo.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists ingeneral of certain novel details of construction and combination ofparts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and specifically claimed.

In the drawings, like characters of reference indicate like parts in theseveral views, and Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine constructed inaccordance with this inven tion, Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof,Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a detail view ofthe driving mechanism for the revolving cutter knife. Fig. 5 is a detailview of the knife removed from the rest of the machinery, Fig. 6 is arear elevation of the machine showing the elevator,

that the machine, being driven through the,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view showing the relation of the revolvingcutter and the stationary cutter knife. Fig. 8 is a detail view showingthe driving mechanism for the conveyer. Fig. 9 is a detail view showingthe driving mechanism for the elevator. Fig. 10 is a detail crosssection through the elevator. Fig. 11 is a section on the line 1111 ofFig. 4, Fig. 12 is a section on the line 1212 of Fig. 4.

While the machine shown in the drawings is arranged to cut a single rowof stalks it will1 be obvious that various widths may be use Referringto the drawings numeral 10 indicates the main frame of the machine.

At 11 is the axle whereon are mounted the ground wheels 12 and 13 theformer being integral with the sprocket wheel 51. Freely revoluble onthe axle is an elevating gear 14 which meshes with the segmental rack 15fixed on the frame so that the latter may be raised and lowered, theelevating gear being controlled by the usual mechanism indicated ingeneral at 16.

Mounted on the frame are the divide boards 17 ofthe ordinaryconstruction and below these boards are the stationary knives 18 and areciprocating knife 19 the latter being actuated by the ordinarymechanism which is not deemed necessary to be shown and which forms nopart of the present invention.

At 20 are indicated the upper conveyor chains while the lower chains areshown at 21. These chains run from the usual sprockets 22 and are drivenfrom the shaft 34 by means of the gears 23 and 23, the latter beingfixed to the lower ends of the shafts 24, the rear sprockets 22 beingmounted on said shafts.

All of the above construction is that common to corn harvesters and thisharvester is. provided with the usual draft rigging 25 and seat 26 asany ordinary harvester.

gear 36 on the shaft 36. By this means as the machine moves onward theroller rotates in a direction opposite that of the wheel. Around therollers 29 and 30 extends a conveyer belt 37. Fixed on the frame at therevolves, coact with the cutter 38 in a manner similar to the blades andknife bar of an ordinary hand operated lawn mower. The cylinder 39revolves freely on the journal' shaft 40 being arranged for clutchingthereto by aclutch 40' normally having its members held in engagement bya spring 41. Further the shaft 40 carries a gear 40 which meshes withthe gear 36.

On the shaft 34 is mounted a sprocket having a sleeve hub 34' formingone member of a clutch, the other member 34 being splined to the shaftso that the two may cooperate to cause rotation when the sprocketrotates. chain 34 with a suitable sprocket 51 fixed upon the axle 11.

At 48 is a hopper to receive the'cut fodder and leading from thishopperis a conveyer 49 of the usual type which is upwardly and laterallyinclined and is driven by means of suitable gearing indicated in generalat 50.

In the operation of the device, as the same is driven along the rows ofcom the knives 18 and 19 sever the stalks which are carried untoward thecylinder 39 by means of the belt 37 and chains 20 and 21. When theyreach the upper end of the belt 37 they are fed over the end of thisbelt and are cut in sm ll pieces bythe action of the cutter 38 andblades42, dropping into the hopper 48 whence they are taken up by the conveyer49 and delivered into a wagon at the side of the machine so that theywill be taken direct to the silo and there stored. a

While the drawings and specifications are based on a single row machinefor removing corn from a field and cutting the same into ensilage, I, ofcourse, do not wish to be limited to corn alone but take in allmaterials that are cut up into ensilage or might be, such as Kafir corn,the different kinds of canes, grasses, alfalfa and clovers, etc., thatare and might be stored in a silo.

It is to be understood that I am not claiming a machine that gathers andcuts off the different materials but a machine that will cut anymaterial into lengths suitable for.

This sprocket is connected by a storing in a silo and a machine that canbe taken into a field and do this work as it is moving along andconfining the work of gathering and cutting up into ensilage to oneoperation. The devices for the removal of any such crop from the field,that is cutting it off from the stalk, are well known and any suitableway could be followed.

One of the shafts 24 has an extension 51 to the lower end of which isfixed a beveled gear 52 which meshes with a similar gear 53 fixed to theouter end of the shaft 54. The shaft 54 is fixed to the outermost roller55 in the hopper 48, whereby when said roller is rotated movement willbe imparted to the conveyer belt 56 in said hopper. The belt will drivethe sprocket 57, and since the same is connected to the. sprocket 58 bya chain 59, the conveyer 49 will be driven.

There has thus been provided a simple and eflicient device of the kinddescribed and of the character specified.

It will be obvious that many minor changes may be made in the form andconstruction of this invention without departing from the materialprinciples thereof. It is not therefore desired to confine the inventionto theexact form herein shown and described, but it is wished to includeall such as come properly within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

In combination, a corn harvester having a main frame, an axle journaledon the frame, a shaft, means connecting the shaft and axle to drive theshaft, upper and lower feed chains, vertical shafts common to bothchains for driving the same, a gear on the lowermost end of one shaft,upper and lower gears on the outer shaft, a drum driven by a train ofgearing from the first named shaft, said first named shaft having gearsthereon, one of which is in mesh with the upper gear of one verticalshaft, while the other is in mesh with the gear of the other verticalshaft, blades on the drum, a knife on the frame to coact with the bladesof the drum. a hopper disposed beneath the drum and knife, rollers ateach end of the hopper, a conveyer belt engaged around the rollers,means for oueratively connecting one of the rollers with the lower gearof one of the vertical shafts, and an elevator leading from one end ofthe hopper and laterally of the frame.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

FRED SIEMEN. Witnesses:

' F. D. GREENE, J. L. Gr mm's."

